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Murder 101 Mysteries

Murder 101

English Professor Alison Bergeron is not having a very good day. Her car has been stolen so she has to walk to the train station to get to her office at St. Thomas, a college in the Bronx, New York. When she arrived she finds two homicide detectives waiting for her. The good news is that they found her car; the bad news is that in the trunk was the body of one of the students in her Shakespeare seminar.

Trying to get her name off of the handsome Detective Crawford’s suspect list turns out to be just one of her problems. Alison has to bail her ex out of jail; deal with the victim’s distraught parents, classmates of hers when she was a student at St. Thomas; and grade those Shakespeare exams, which seem to be getting a lot of attention for a boring old stack of reports. And in the meantime, who would want to kill college student Kathy Miceli?

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A 2007 Washington Irving Book Selection (chosen by the Westchester Library Association)

“Sparkling…romance, humor, and suspense blend perfectly in…the first of what hopefully will be a long series.” Publisher’s Weekly, starred review

“A romantic ending and the furthering of a girlfriend bond that we hope to enjoy in murder mysteries to come.” More Magazine

“An entertaining debut.” Booklist

“With wit and verve…a spot-on rendering of the jungles of academia.” Richmond Times-Dispatch

Extracurricular Activities

Alison Bergeron, a college professor at St. Thomas up the Hudson from New York, is looking forward to her best friend’s wedding. Maybe it will take her mind off of her off-again relationship with the married NYPD Homicide Detective Bobby Crawford. He’s separated, if you want to be technical about it, but Alison is still getting over her own divorce and she’s trying to make good decisions.

But when Alison’s ex turns up dead, she’s certain that a mob boss is responsible and Bobby is the only one she can turn to. Romance and murder mingle in this charming follow-up to Murder 101.

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“Barbieri’s in top form as she delivers a smooth sequel to her witty debut.” Publisher’s Weekly

“This genre-bending combination of chick lit and mystery will please readers who like action and romance in the same package.” Booklist

“Bergeron’s romantic trials and fashion sense are comparable to Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski…Extracurricular Activities will find a home with readers of chick lit and cozy mysteries alike.” The Tampa Tribune

Quick Study

Alison thought that dating a cute NYPD detective like Bobby Crawford would be exciting, but he hasn’t really invited her on any stakeouts…

Things do rev up when a friend asks her for help finding his nephew—the same missing boy Bobby pulled from the Hudson days earlier. The boy’s employer calls it a suicide, but Alison and Bobby, not convinced, take the case into their own hands.

With matching and sleuthing to spare, staying out of trouble isn’t on the syllabus in this third outrageous outing starring Alison and Bobby.

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A 2009 Washington Irving Book Selection (chosen by the Westchester Library Association)

Romantic Times Magazine Award Nominee for Best Mystery and Suspense Novel/Amateur Sleuth 2008!

“There is plenty to enjoy about this series…the storytelling just keeps getting better. Surprising relationship revelations and whodunit solutions at the end are satisfyingly clever…a cozy mystery suitable for any audience.” Library Journal

“Barbieri scores again with this high-octane blend of romance, laughs, and chills.” Publisher’s Weekly

Final Exam

St. Thomas, the college north of New York City where Alison teaches, has had its share of scandals involving its students, staff, and Alison herself, so when a Resident Director goes missing they keep it quiet by tapping Alison as a replacement. A stay in the dorms is like hard time and she will do anything to avoid it. Her way out: Find the reluctant resident and drag him back. Luckily, she doesn’t have to look further than the drugs he’s hidden to get her boyfriend, Detective Bobby Crawford, on the case.

Final Exam is another wildly entertaining adventure in the Murder 101 series.

Third Degree

On her way to meet her boyfriend’s parents, Alison Bergeron has to stop by a local coffee shop to steel her resolve. It’s a big event. Not only is it the first time she’s met NYPD Detective Bobby Crawford’s entire family, but it’s also coming on the heels of a wedding proposal that she has left unanswered so far. As she steps into the shop, a fight breaks out between Carter Wilmott, a merciless local blogger, and George Miller, the head of the town’s public works and the ostensible target of one of Wilmott’s posts. The brawl quickly spirals out of control, and George lands a fatal blow.

The case couldn’t be anymore simple, and Alison witnessed the whole thing, but when Wilmott’s car explodes in the aftermath, what looked to be a straightforward crime of passion becomes something far more complicated and premeditated, and George Miller’s wife wants Alison to clear her husband of the charges.

Romance and mystery mingle in Third Degree, the fifth installment in Maggie Barbieri’s Murder 101 series.

Physical Education

Something isn’t right in the Bergeron-Crawford house as Alison finds herself questioning her husband Bobby’s actions while he works on a new, secret case. Helping to keep her mind off things is her new assignment at school as coach of the Blue Jays, the girls’ varsity basketball team at St. Thomas University. Crawford’s daughter is on the team which brings Alison closer to her stepdaughter than ever before but her husband’s increasingly bizarre behavior is giving her pause. Just what is he working on and why won’t he talk to her about it?

Extra Credit

Alison Bergeron has her doubts about hosting a birthday party for her twin stepdaughters, seeing as it’ll include all of her new husband’s ex-in-laws. Still, she’s a good sport, and everyone has a great time, especially the girls, who receive $10,000 from their estranged uncle, Chick. The girls’ father, NYPD Detective Bobby Crawford, and Christine, his ex, think the gift is too much. When Crawford swings by Chick’s apartment to return it, he finds Chick dead, with roughly $250,000 stuffed in his mattress. The death is ruled a suicide, but Christine isn’t convinced, and even Alison can’t help but admit that there must be a lot more to Chick’s death than meets the eye.